SON shuts down 13 steel companies ‘over infraction’

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has sealed 13 steel factories across the nation because of “standards infractions”. 

Enebi Onucheyo, the agency’s chairman of the task force on steel, disclosed this to reporters in Lagos on Monday.

Onucheyo said the companies located in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Abia and Edo states were shut following a nationwide market surveillance carried out by the organisation’s task force between November 2019 and January 2020.

He said samples of various steel products were obtained from the open market as well as the facilities of the companies during the surveillance period.

According to him, because of SON’s classification of steel bars as life-endangering products,  the Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS) provides for unique identification marks for every locally manufactured or imported steel bars for easy traceability.

“Laboratory tests and analysis carried out on the samples revealed that most of them failed to meet the minimum requirements for diameter and mass per meter as provided in the Nigeria Industrial Standard (NIS 117:2004),” he said.

“These are critical parameters in the standard for reinforcement bars for concrete.”

He said the closure followed earlier warnings to all the steel manufacturing companies with directive to ensure strict compliance with the requirements of the NIS 117:2004.

Onucheyo also said some of the companies were found to have tampered with products earlier placed on hold by SON in their facilities while an unregistered identification mark “GE” was discovered in one of the products sampled.

He said the exercise would be a continuous one in furtherance of SON’s commitment to protect Nigerian consumers from the dangers associated with substandard and life-endangering products in view of the incessant collapse of buildings and structures across the country.

He added that the exercise was also aimed at ensuring that Nigerian consumers get optimum value for their money.

Commenting on the enforcement activity,  Osita Aboloma, director-general of SON, said the agency is committed to promoting “quality made-in-Nigeria products” in preparation for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

Aboloma said strict enforcement of conformity to the requirements of the NIS would facilitate export while also preventing dumping in the Nigerian markets.